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Saturday, 29 March 2014

March Watch List

Not as many films in this month's list, I can explain. Netflix has come back in to my life, along with it, so many films I don't own but wanted to see again. I have also been trying to catch up with all the TV shows I watch. I still need to watch the rest of True Detective and there was great series coming to an end, plus I became obsessed with American Horror Story, still am. After this month, I'll be right back on films.

It's a sensation. Wes Anderson's films have never been in the cinema this long with this much praise. Also I don't think I've known one of his films to have been seen by this many people, it's very exciting.My review and Secret Cinema visit. 5/5

Well we all know that this was a huge hit and I think its because of two reasons. One, everyone enjoys a happy film that feels positive and second, lego is a toy, we were all children once. Lego is awesome, just like the song says, everything is awesome. It feels like a run of the mill film, nobody Emmet, goes about his daily life when suddenly he may be 'the one' all the master builders have been searching for. Loved it from start to finish and the twist at the end was unexpected and well done. If children watched this, I hope they got the message, be creative. 4/5

3. 300: Rise of an Empire

Loved 300 when it first came onto the screens, there was none of this 3D crap to ruin the action. I was sceptical about this sequel/prequel/another story another day follow up and even more sceptical when I saw the cast AND the focus of the story. The film is based on Frank Miller's follow up graphic novel, Xerxes, which I though the film would focus on more but the film belongs to two people; Artemisia, commander of the Persian Navy, played by Eva Green and Themistocles, general for the Athenian army, played by little known (over here anyway) actor, Sullivan Stapleton. These two make the film but the latter of the two lacked screen presence. He wasn't helped by the faceless actors who played his soldiers. Eva Green was excellent, I never say this, but she was actually very good, I have a lot more respect for her now. The action sequences were brilliant (in 2D) and the story wove quite well between the story of 300 and the battles that continued on screen. It didn't make sense to call the film '300' colon 'Rise of an Empire'. The Spartan 300 didn't really feature enough to take the title. Overall, not the best film, but far better than I expected. 3/5

The biggest Kickstarter projects ever made, it made $2 million in 10 hours, most of the donations came from fans. The now, cult hit TV show ran for three seasons and didn't really have a proper ending, the fans wanted more and I'm so glad they did. I started watching the TV show in the morning over the summer between first and second year of Uni, when they were on E4. I literally had no money to my name and spent the mornings watching Veronica Mars and making up my own exercise routines. To be fair, I got hooked. I missed a couple episodes in season 3 because the storyline wasn't as interesting but I liked the characters and I'm a sucker for a detective story. The film is basically a whole season rolled neatly into one film. Nearly all the whole gang is back, some make small appearances, some have bigger roles than they did in the TV show. It doesn't matter, you're thrown back into Neptune and the water is warm. 4/5

I had heard so much festival buzz about this film, it had a short release here, barely any talk outside the festival film sphere, in the end I rented it from itunes. At it's core, it is a very sad and difficult film to watch. Brie Larson has been getting praise for her role, which I found quite predictable but she was very good as a social worker at a short term foster home who herself has a damaging past which she hasn't ever got over. I'm happy to say there is light at the end of the dim tunnel, its well acted and it feels like there is hope somewhere for everyone. 3/5

6. Labour Day

Based on a book, it had that feel to it. Kate Winslet has always been one of my favourite actresses and this film is an excellent reason why. Apart from the fact that she recently appeared in Movie 43 and will appear in Divergent, most of Kate's films have all been dramatic and not so commercial. This film falls under that category. Winslet played a broken hearted single mother, the story is told from the point of view of her teenage son who takes care of her. During their monthly trip to the supermarket, an injured man asks for help. He is an escaped prisoner. Throughout the film, they become a family and though the films takes place over 4 days, it doesn't feel like that. In that short space of time, you can feel all three of the main characters mature. It should feel like the film is sorrowful but its actually is uplifting, especially near to the end. 3/5

7. Captain America: The Winter Solider

What I liked about Captain America was that it didn't feel like a superhero film, it was a war film with a special twist. Now that Cap is out of the ice and has fought aliens, in this film, he's back to fighting men, men with evil plots. There is a hell of a lot more action in this stepping stone to Avengers sequel, many things get blown up and secrets are uncovered. The film is less war more spy related, especially as Black Widow takes on more than a supporting role. Iron Man deals with terrorists, Thor deals with other off worlds threats, Hulk, well Hulk does nothing at the moment, and Cap, well he's the SHEILD connection. Along with the action, new superheroes are introduced to the screen, Falcon and to be honest it great to have on board, even though his involvement felt a tad too convenient. To me, this didn't feel like a huge set up for Age of Ultron, it felt like a stand alone issue involving an old friend, who you know will be back to haunt you and I'm guessing later stand by your side. The main villain was a bit of a disappointment and this is only because you see it coming a mile off, even in the trailer and I am not talking about the identity of the Winter Soldier. The after credits segment was exciting, a glimpse of things to come is always intriguing, although my friend was convinced they would change the storyline for two key characters in Marvel. 4/5

Can't wait for the next instalment from Marvel and I'm kind of glad that its far away from Earth and all about aliens. Bring on Guardians of the Galaxy!